Can't stand Bex. She is not Oxford material and she is certainly not the best runner on the square :rofl:

Kate Oates on the Gray/Chantelle storyline:

 

The domestic abuser - who is played by actor Toby Alexander in the BBC soap - regularly terrorises his wife Chantelle with mental and physical abuse and manipulation to keep her under his control.

 

However, despite his vile actions, fans have wondered if the soap could buck the trend and show an abuser who could redeem himself after years of having professional characters as villains.

 

Speaking exclusively to The Sun Online, Kate Oates hinted it could happen. She said: "I know there's been a little bit of conversation about the fact that EastEnders always make their be-suited educated characters villains and it's so crucial to his character because he works in the law fighting for the little guy.

 

"That confuses Chantelle because he's got a social conscience so he's the opposite of her father who was completely flaky and couldn't hold down a job as a guy who really does hold down a job.

 

"Plus the fact that he's part of this aspirational lifestyle. Gray has got a lot of redeeming qualities."

 

Kate added: "Abuse is so often about power. And he enjoys the power that he has over her.

 

"And characters can change and they can be redeemed, but I believe in those kind of dynamics that ultimately the victim, in this case,Chantelle, their first job is to look after themselves and if Gray could be redeemed later than that's up to him.

 

"If Chantele was my friend I'd want her out of there and I'd want her to take the kids with her."

 

She added: "Chantelle's problem at the moment is that she's telling nobody.

 

"Nobody has a single hint that Gray is like this. So I think in a way, not letting anybody in, anybody at all, she's actually building higher walls around herself but that's going to be part of the problem."

 

Kate and executive producer Jon Sen have been keen to avoid repeating EastEnders most famous domestic abuse storylines where Little Mo killed her evil husband Trevor with a hot iron after years of abuse.

 

Speaking about the comparisons, Kate said: "I knew that they would come, but I think that they will be short lived because the characters are so different.

 

"And where the stories goes is very different and we know where it's going to go and it's challenging, but important.

 

"I think comparisons with Little Mo in some ways are very flattering because that story was brilliant. It was incredible, it was so well performed, so brave and I can remember really vividly certain elements of that story, which shows what a great story it was as part of classic EastEnders history.

 

"So in some ways the comparison was flattering but I think that anyone that watches this story unfold will see something very different."

Rainie’s accurate read on Kathy’s character tho *.*

 

Bex is so shit. She should be excited for uni not desperate to live a mundane life on a market stall. I can’t remember the last time she did anything good.

Who wrote that article? Little Mo didn’t kill Trevor with an iron!

Who wrote that article? Little Mo didn’t kill Trevor with an iron!

 

Loool they didn’t do their research

There was a time when Bex was really promising, throughout a fair bit of the bullying storyline, but that feels so distant now. I think the storyline would have been much more effective, and the character far easier to feel sympathy for, had she just worked hard to get in, been excited and happy and then struggled at uni and it could have been a really good mental health storyline that highlights something a lot of students struggle with. God knows what direction they've tried to/are trying to go in, but they've killed any sympathy you could have for her and I just want to see her fail now :lol:

Who wrote that article? Little Mo didn’t kill Trevor with an iron!

lol I missed that. It is The Sun, I'm afraid.

 

I thought it was interesting that Kate acknowledged fans' comments about a possible 'redemption' for Gray - something I considered myself - and talked about wanting to tell stories in different ways. Soaps have a habit of using the same sort of formula and us fans can usually guess the sort of direction plots will go, so it's refreshing to have someone in charge who is keen to challenge this and keep us excited. She definitely did this with the route she took Bobby in so I'm interested to see how she and Jon handle the Gray/Chantelle storyline.

the more i see of kate oats talking about what she wants to do with the show the more i stan, this is the best era of eastenders in a long time!

 

i dont want to see a gray murder storyline, i feel like he has a lot of layers to him that we've not seen yet so I'd much prefer a redemption arc or the like instead. i think seeing him lose everything because of his abuse would be interesting. if chantelle and the kids leave, he loses his job - get him to do a stint in jail even and see what kind of person he is when he comes out.

Yes redemption with consequences could be a good storyline for Gray. I would have liked to have seen the abuse in the opposite roles and chantelle to be beating Gray as this isnt touched on as much.The story telling is great at the moment and i agree we have waited a long time for the show to be consistently enjoyable, I'm back to looking forward to each episode again.

I agree, too often abusers go unpunished by being killed off. He needs to lose everything and reflect upon his actions. The storyline really is only just beginning.

I'll slap ya derrrwwn

Bobby on drugs is a mood

I agree, too often abusers go unpunished by being killed off. He needs to lose everything and reflect upon his actions. The storyline really is only just beginning.

 

This!!

 

 

It’s hard to believe how much better the aftermath of Lucy’s death is being handled four years later compared to at the time.

 

Why does Tamzin have to leave? f***ing incredible actress.

I have always liked tamzin and she has been at her best lately since she came back which makes it more disappointing she is leaving as I really like her scenes with lisa.

Edited September 17, 20195 yr by Feel_The_Fever

Tamzin is smashing it right now!!!

 

I can see why she’s leaving but I’d love her to return in the near future again soon.

 

I hope she gets some sort of income out of the Mitchell’s before she goes. Pls blackmail Sharon and walk out of walford fuming but rich it’s what she deserves really.

 

 

Yes and I think that's how she will bow out and this would leave things open for a return for her.

It's a shame they didn't really use her until the last act of her stint, she's been amazing of late and it just goes to show what they could have got out of her for the whole stint had they given her stories throughout.

Tamzin is smashing it right now!!!

 

I can see why she’s leaving but I’d love her to return in the near future again soon.

 

I hope she gets some sort of income out of the Mitchell’s before she goes. Pls blackmail Sharon and walk out of walford fuming but rich it’s what she deserves really.

 

She owns half the club. She'll be fine.

Her first year almost felt like a separate soap. I’m glad they’ve really used her well this year meaning her return wasn’t completely pointless.